Melton Receives Prestigious Johns Hopkins Speech-Language Pathology Fellowship
The fellowship is a highly competitive, nationally-recognized award given to only one individual each year.
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Jacqueline Melton, a second-year graduate student who will earn her master's degree in speech-language pathology (SLP) this May, has been selected as the 2023-24 Outpatient Speech-Language Pathology Fellow by Johns Hopkins Hospital. The fellowship is a highly competitive, nationally-recognized award given to only one individual each year. Melton will serve her clinical year in the program.
“All SLP graduates go on to complete a fellowship year, but this opportunity that she competed for is more like the equivalent of a residency in medical school,” notes Associate Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Jacquie Kurland. “We’re very proud of Jacqueline. What a tremendous honor for her and our program.”
“From the beginning of her entry into our graduate program, Jacqueline demonstrated excellence in both her academic studies and in her drive to develop her clinical skills,” adds Lisa Sommers, Clinical Associate Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and the Clinical Director of the Center for Language, Speech, and Hearing. “She always volunteered for opportunities that gave her enhanced experiences, even though they added to her workload. She is a natural with clients, putting them at ease and helping them to feel safe to take risks as they work to recover and rehabilitate. She takes responsibility for her own learning and always comes prepared with the most current evidence-based techniques. She is very deserving of this fellowship and will make a big difference in the lives of her future patients.”
As an Outpatient Speech-Language Pathology Fellow, Melton will complete an intensive program focused on learning to apply didactic information to clinical practice with patients who have a wide range of disorders, in the outpatient medical setting. Fellowship features include:
- Clinical evaluation and treatment experience in the areas of motor speech, language, cognition, swallowing, speech generating devices and alternative communication.
- One-on-one mentorship with experienced speech-language pathologists.
- Didactic experience, including: surgery observations, participation in multidisciplinary rounds, monthly swallowing conference, monthly clinical reasoning meetings and monthly journal club meetings.
- MBS-IMP certification.
- Participation in scholarly activities including: case presentations, multidisciplinary education and research project with the opportunity for poster submission to the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Expo as well as presentation at a conference or submission for publication when appropriate.
- Leadership experience including mentorship of the next CFY.
- Participation in the Johns Hopkins Research Development Program.
“I am thrilled and honored to be accepted into this program,” says Melton. “Johns Hopkins is an amazing institution with a long history of excellence in healthcare; I look forward to learning from and alongside outstanding clinicians who not only provide exceptional care but who also help to shape the future of the speech-language pathology profession. I know that the skills, experience, and connections I gain during my time as a clinical fellow at Johns Hopkins will serve me well as I begin my career in speech-language pathology.”
